


Immortality

by Destii



Category: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Blood, Darkspawn, Fighting, the wardens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 10:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8574589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destii/pseuds/Destii
Summary: The 2nd prompt from the Dare To Write Challenge





	

Ashala closed her eyes and mouth as the blood sprayed across her face. She could feel where it had landed, could feel the hot blood trickling down her brow and onto her eyelid. It tickled and made her want to wipe it away. She forced her eyes back open, straining in the gloom of the deep roads. There were no lights here but the torches they carried, discarded on the floor. Weapons and armour shone from below and distorted her version.

She saw the flicker of an axe swinging passed her, heard the howl of the genlock as the edge ground into its chest. A Hurlock took the place of the genlock that had just fallen, crushing it underfoot as though it were unimportant even though it still twitched and yowled. Ashala raised her sword as the warden next to her lowered his shield, waiting to take the assault that would be coming.

All along the line it was the same; metal crashing against metal, shrieks and growls, blood and bones and guts smearing the floor. The darkspawn never changed, never thought of new tactics, never countered any of theirs. Fighting them was easy these days. But they never stopped coming. Fight one darkspawn and a thousand would appear. And they were cornered now, assaulted from both sides, their backs against the stone wall. There was no way to break off, no way to retreat. A last stand in the darkness. Her unit would be looking to her for guidance, for reassurance, for anything.

‘We’re not going to die here!’ Ashala screamed over the noise.

‘We’re not going to die to this scum! We are wardens! We fight, we win, we send these horrors back to the Maker; this is not our last battle! In peace-‘

‘Vigilance!‘ The others chimed in, shouting into the faces of the darkspawn, staring them down, daring them to fight back.

‘In war-‘ Ashala ducked below her neighbour’s shield as a blow came from above. She felt it scrape across her pauldron but knew it had done no damage. As the weapon was drawn away, she rose to strike back.

‘Victory!‘ The others responded. They were pushing back now, one step at a time, one body at a time.

‘In death-‘ Ashala cried, diving forward to strike with her short sword. She felt a blow from her left at the same time, a sharp pain in her side. She turned to respond to the attacker and stumbled, legs going weak, vision blurring. She fell to her knees, her armour dragging her down. A blade stuck out from her chest, buried deep in her ribs. It hurt to breathe. She was shaking. Everything was going dark, then light, then dark again. She felt herself being dragged back, saw the line of darkspawn receding and then the feet of her own warriors, still pushing, still fighting. She could hear the scream of “sacrifice”, the chant finished despite their loss.

‘Commander!’ Nathaniel knelt in front of her, holding her upright at the shoulders. His face was coated in blood, both red and black. He looked concerned, and exhausted.

‘I’m alive, Nathaniel. But not if you don’t keep fighting,’ Ashala responded, forcing a hand up to push him away. He didn’t leave, her push too weak to move him.

‘I’m not leaving you to die, Commander.’

‘Keep fighting, Constable! That’s an order!’ Ashala barked, the effort alone making her feel sick. Nathaniel still didn’t move but glanced back at the wardens still fighting, saw as she did that more and more were dying.

‘Get them out of here, Nathaniel, I’m counting on you,’ Ashala said when Nathaniel didn’t reply.

‘I’ll see that you are remembered, Commander,’ Nathaniel replied.

‘Don’t, see that the Wardens are known. There is immortality in that.’


End file.
